The Nobody and The Puppet
by Xlatem Sumato
Summary: Xion, a puppet to the Organization and Riku a Nobody to the world. What happens when they become a part of each others, changing their demeanor and bringing about feelings they both never knew they would feel. Everything may go well, but the Organization is a problem in their formula for love.
1. Chapter 1

The Nobody and The Puppet

By: Xlatem Sumato

*Disclaimer: I do not own any characters; all rights belong to Square Enix and Disney. This story is purely for the enjoyment of others whom are also fans of Kingdom Hearts.

Notes: I'd love any form of feedback from any fans or just another reader who's also a big fan of Kingdom Hearts. It'll help me to know where you guys want the story to go and if you're enjoying my style of writing. Thank you. ~Xlatem.

Chapter 1: Love Is A Sham, Or Is It?

Xion finally had been able to summon her Keyblade all thanks to Roxas and his encouragement. She was happy she could finally fulfill her day to day tasks of taking out the Heartless and helping to further the goal of what Xemnas called Kingdom Hearts. The question had crossed Xion's mind though, why did Organization XIII want, or rather need Kingdom Hearts? She had talked with Roxas and Axel atop the clock tower in Twilight Town, a celebration in light of her being able to summon her Keyblade again. Axel would play it off; he honestly didn't think he did anything to help, even though it was his idea for Roxas and Xion to work together on missions so that way Saïx wouldn't find out. All and all Axel laughed and told her to buy him a Sea Salt ice cream and they'll call it even. All three of them sat out looking into the open, watching the beautiful crimson sunset the sky had been kissed with. Xion turned her head when she heard Roxas talk, hearing him say he hoped things would stay like this forever, the three of them eating ice cream and sitting here. Xion hoped for the same.

Later that night Xion prepared for bed, lying down and shutting her blue hues behind eye petals and drifting off into sleep. The next morning Xion got up bright and early to complete her mission so later she would be free to hang with Roxas and Axel. She spoke with Saïx in the grey area to accept her mission. "Xion, today you will go to Beast's Castle and defeat the Heartless, understood?" He said in a monotone voice, one that he always used when speaking to her especially. Xion gave a timid nod with her head and walked off, preparing to open a dark corridor to Beast's Castle. She smiled at the thought, after all that's where she had fought with Roxas on previous missions, remembering when he had given her his Keyblade and instead used a stick to fight off the Heartless. With a single wave of her hand a dark force rose from the ground, splitting apart into an oval-like shape, wide and tall enough for Xion to walk through it.

As Xion arrived to the vicinity of the castle she spotted a figure wearing the same coat she wore, the one of Organization XIII. Xion quickly pulled up her hood, all her features now hidden, just as she always had from anyone other than Roxas or Axel, those who she trusted. When Roxas and Xion had gone to Beast's Castle the first time to take out the Bully Dog Heartless Roxas told her that stealth was crucial, not to be spotted by any bystanders, to basically not interact with anyone or thing that had nothing to do with the mission. Xion silently walked, making sure that she was not heard. It baffled her though, who was that person and why were they wearing the coat. Was it one of her comrades? She would feel it though, she would know if it was one of the members of the Organization. Suddenly without Xion having to make a sound the tall figure's body turned around and faced her. Delicate feet began to move back, one step at a time as the mysterious person started to walk forward in her direction. Her blue optics stared from behind her own hood, a glance exchanged also from the stranger behind his own hood. Xion couldn't help but tremble where she stood, still taking small paces backwards. Instantly now the stranger raised his right arm up, letting a dark aura envelope around his hand until what looked to be some sort of Keyblade emerged. From what Xion could spot it had looked like a bat wing with an angel's wing at the top. The figure had his left hand extended out, letting his palm face upward while his right hand holding the blade was above it by a few inches. When Xion moved one more step back it began to run towards her.

Xion summoned her Keyblade quickly and blocked as a sudden slam of the other's Keyblade made contact with hers. As both metals clashed and rang about where they were, the foe's hood of the cloak fell and it revealed a face but upon it was a black blindfold which concealed what Xion came to realize was a boy's eyes. Not only that but he had silver like hair that cascaded partially down his shoulders. She had never seen this individual and she knew he was not of their number, so who was he? An imposter was her conclusion. The boy jumped back a couple feet from her and readied himself again in the same stance he's taken at the beginning. He let out a cry as he dashed towards Xion once more, this time she'd take the offense. She ran forward too and slammed her Keyblade into his, this sending both of them back a reasonable distance.

"Hmph, not bad" He called out, though it was almost of an unimpressed tone. Xion didn't speak but only feel her blood boil mixed with the adrenaline of having to fend off some stranger who posed more of a threat than any type of Heartless she's had to face yet. He stood there watching her not make a move, he as well waiting for what would come next, what part of the story would appear before the two, and how this would play out. Though he knew something she didn't. Who she was….

So many thoughts passed through her mind, she felt like she was going to faint from all of this. Why was he after her anyway? Aside from her getting somewhat angry she also felt flustered, a feeling of what? Attraction? That's crazy, Nobody's can't feel. they can't reconcile a feeling, an emotion of any form. At least this was what was told to her. Her cheeks felt hot and her heart was pounding, though that was for many reasons. She shook her head and rushed at him once more, her Keyblade ready to swing at full force. She was driven by some many things that could be considered emotions. Anger, fear, anxiety, and even… Lust….

He raised a brow, sensing her coming closer to him which caused him to swing his weapon up, landing it at her abdominal region. She felt the blade make contact and she flew upward and then down, her Keyblade spinning high in the air before stabbing the ground. The male walked nonchalantly towards Xion, fingertips pulling at the edge of her hood to reveal her raven black hair as well as her facial features. His own fingertips came to the blindfold to lift up only the corner of the right eye, this showing his eye color which was a shade or two lighter than Xions. Hers were an ocean blue where his was of color of a light blue sky or ice. His mouth hung open as he saw her, the realization of a face that reminded him so much of a girl he knew. Kairi….

He let out a breath; a different feeling filled him, one of fascination and even attraction. He turned his head, looking off to the side, feeling a warm emotion run through his body. He had felt this way about Kairi once but he knew Sora was the one to end up with her, not him… And after all that has happened, what he has caused… There was no way Kairi would even think twice about wanting to be with him, let alone he'd be grateful if she forgave him. Though here was girl who'd not known him at all and maybe something more could evolve given some time…. No. It could never be he comprehended to himself! Knowing he wasn't here to fall in love but rather take Xion back to DiZ and Naminé so everything could go back to normal. It ate at him knowing this is what he had to do, but he didn't want to hurt her in doing so. Maybe he could reason with her, find another way?

He was stopped short in his thinking when he saw her move. He stood up, moving back from her, turning around and raising his hand up to let the blindfold come back down over his eye. It saddened him because without that little piece of cloth he was able to see her beauty. He could still feel himself blushing, but he had to focus on the main task at hand.

"You're face… Who are you really? And why do you have a Keyblade?" He spoke, confused and still flustered. All the while he spoke, Xion pulled up her hood, covering her face once again from the world. She wondered if it had it fallen back when she was knocked out or did the boy pull it back? She bit her lip as a gloved hand gripped at the fabric, pulling it over completely.

"You tell me first… Why are dressed as one of us?" She spoke and then paused as he began to walk towards the spot where her Keyblade had landed, the point of the key still jammed into the ground, remaining as it landed. He let a sigh come from his lips, though it was a silent one.

"To make sure my best friend…. Sleeps in peace. I don't know who you're supposed to be but… You can't fight fire with sparks." The words resonated throughout the warm air, piercing her ears. He pulled out Xion Keyblade whilst speaking. The mystery boy said one more thing before tossing her Keyblade behind him, letting it clang against the floor as it slid to Xion's side. "This Keyblade it's a sham — worthless."

Her teeth grinded in anger as she let out a retort, the obvious ton of her voice signaled she was angry. "My Keyblade is not a sham! What gives you the right to say that?!"

Xion consumed by anger grabbed her Keyblade quickly and got up, running at him with no thought other than to strike him down. How could he say that to her? Out of all things this was a sensitive topic due to her endeavors of summoning het Keyblade only days ago. If she could wield it, it was the real deal, and no one was going to tell her otherwise! As she approached the boy now being only mere centimeters from his body he ducked down, letting her swing pass by him, a fist closing by him, and finally sending fist into her side. He watched as she fell down, thudding to the ground. In turn her Keyblade hit the ground as well, dissolving into little light particles. He moved away from her, a pain hitting him in his chest, though it wasn't of the psychical type, no… It was an emotional one, like he knew he did something wrong. He did realize though if he didn't block her he would have been hit. Once more he sighed, though he didn't let it be heard.

"Find a new crowd. Trust me. Those guys are bad news." He warned before turning completely way from the fallen Xion, having to disappear once more, that is until he was stopped by a feminine voice, the one he was so drawn to.

"Why? You're the real sham." She called back at him, he left palm holding at her side where he'd hit her, the other firmly placed on the cobble-like ground beneath them, using it to hold herself up with her knees bent partially against the ground, but too weak to get up. Xion was hurt and overall upset now. She could feel a tear beginning to form at the edge of her eyes, one breaking from her tear duct to stream down her face until it hung off her chin, dropping to the ground.

"Fair enough…. You could say… I'm the biggest Nobody of them all." He replied quietly, but enough for her to hear him as he headed for the gates of Beast's Castle. His hand held onto the bars, grasping it tightly, hearing a loud wailing reverberate from her. He swallowed hard, leaving the scene once and for all; not being able to stand hearing her cries so loudly like that, knowing he was the cause for it. He truly believed though he was the biggest Nobody of them all… Like everything and everyone would have been better off without him… Without… Riku….


	2. Chapter 2

The Nobody and The Puppet

By: Xlatem Sumato

*Disclaimer: I do not own any characters; all rights belong to Square Enix and Disney. This story is purely for the enjoyment of others whom are also fans of Kingdom Hearts.

Notes: Hey guys! After my long hiatus I'm bringing the next installment if you will, of The Nobody and The Puppet. I've been super busy tending to life and all it has to offer, so my time to write has been limited, but since it still is summer and my vacation isn't over (see what I did there?) I'll be finishing off and starting new stories real soon. Also any form of comment is gladly appreciated and helps me to keep delivering more of these stories. So enough of my rambling, enjoy! ~Xlatem.

Chapter 2: What Are Emotions? What Is A Heart?

Xion could only sit there and remember the events that had unfolded ever so cruelly in her favor. She was so lost in thought she didn't even hear anything until it became louder, hearing the same thing being shouted… "Xion… Xion…!" A familiar tone she'd acknowledged was Roxas. She snapped out of her trance and faced the blond haired boy, conveying to him that she had a lot on her mind, which was the complete truth. Xion couldn't shake the feeling she felt, and it scared her because Nobodies 'couldn't' feel, as Saïx had said they are incapable of it… So why did she feel so strange? She could see it still, his silvery locks hanging in front of his face with that darned blindfold concealing what she could only fathom as beautiful optics. A shiver was sent down her spine still feeling his touch, the soft one that revealed to him her face and the painful inflicted one that still stung at her side.

A sigh of frustration came forth from the girl, looking towards her friend in hopes of having some light shed on what she was feeling, thinking he may have more insight on it all. "Roxas… Do you ever think about why we're doing all of this…?" That was all that she could seem to muster up. These words were of course in correlation to her feelings for this mysterious man she'd clashed with, but Roxas could never know about it, he wouldn't understand. All that Roxas could come back with was so they could have hearts, and once they had a heart of their own they wouldn't have to ask that question. Xion pondered in her mind, unable to accept that, she couldn't comprehend what she was doing here, what purpose she served. Her gloved hand came to her eyes, speaking in an even more distressed nature. "I started having the strangest dreams… I can never remember what they're about…. I just wake up scared."

Roxas looked at her; puzzled as to if they were nightmares. He frowned a little, not wanting his friend to be sad in any form. This brought a spark to him as he began to comfort her, telling her Xigbar said her and Roxas were pretty special, 'exceptional.' The words rung out in her ears, like nails on a chalkboard. "Special? Isn't that… Just another way of saying I'm a mistake?" She reacted with, trusting the words she spoke. Roxas shook his head, expressing to her that she wasn't a mistake like she thought. She knew this was a bad idea to try to ask Roxas for advice, coming to a conclusion that he was just as clueless as she was, and even maybe more than that. Xion felt a breeze fade in, her raven locks being blown back a little while she looked out to the sun, feeling the warmth of that beam down on her, having only one thing left to say to her friend. "Well you and I may be exceptional, Roxas. But... I don't think we're quite the same." With that she handed her sea-salt ice cream to him and began walking off, hearing the whistling of the wind grow louder, like it wanted to be heard and understood, just as Xion wished to be.

The next day came when Xion had been put on another mission but she had collapsed while collecting hearts and everything from that point was blank. Xion had be unresponsive for numerous days, 20 by Roxas's words when she finally awoke. She glanced at her pillow, seeing many colored seashells scattered along it. She smiled, picking one up and listening to it, claiming to hear the waves. Roxas explained that she slept so long he and Axel were getting worried. Xion apologized but also announced to Roxas that it strange they can feel without hearts to feel with. He couldn't find any words to counter that, so he stayed quiet. For a moment everything was silent until Xion had an idea. She asked Roxas about work, understanding he was just about to head out, this exciting Xion as she asked to tag along. Roxas's eyes widened, thinking she needed more rest, but persistent Xion insisted and the result was Roxas giving in and agreeing to it.

So it began a peaceful walk through Twilight Town where the trio which consisted of Roxas, Axel, and Xion searched for Heartless to extinguish. While they were walking through where the entrance of the train station was Xion suddenly collapsed, her head being filled with a strange memory, seeing a boy with brown spikey hair… Almost resembling Roxas in a way….There was also this girl with red hair whom was handing something to him, saying 'it was her lucky charm and to bring it back.' Come to think of it she saw something similar before she woke up and startled Roxas, that boy with brown hair was there… But what did it mean, what were these dreams. In the background of it all a large Heartless appeared and Roxas brought forth his Keyblade to vanquish it while Axel took care of Xion. After taking down the Heartless Roxas and Axel returned with Xion in her unconscious state. Saïx standing in the main hall greeted them with his 'oh so wonderful' personality, asking if 'It' broke again. It made Roxas's blood boil and Axel only replied with telling him to keep his mouth shut. Roxas and Axel discussed Xion's condition and Axel told Roxas he and Xion were his best friends, this catching Xion's ear as she began to wake up, giving them a smile. Friends… That's all she needed… But she wanted to still know what she was feeling, what is truly a feeling if you have no heart?

More and more days slipped past them and various things had been accomplished. Such as Roxas, Axel, and Xion promising to go to the beach on their next day off, Xion accessing the Organization's main computer to understand more about Castle Oblivion and why Roxas and her were never sent there, and finally Xion entering Castle Oblivion tormented by memories of when she had walked the same white halls with Saïx, leaving it for good. This was the place she believed she came from, Xion needed to understand why all this was happening, and maybe through it all she'd find out about that mysterious boy she met once at Beast's Castle. Axel walked along the pearl white floor, talking to Xion, telling her just go home, but she was too determined and too stubborn to listen and ran ahead. Time passed and Xion had gone missing which worried Roxas the most, seeing as Xemnas told the entire Organization to not try and search for her.

Xion had decided she had enough of the lies and ran off to the one place she knew she could go, the one place she truly felt at home, Destiny Islands. The waves rolled in, soaking the sand and reclining back in a solid and uninterrupted rhythm, a calming sound Xion felt at peace with. While she walked amongst the sand, listening to the grains beneath her shoes squish, her form buckled forward and she was lying on the ground, being haunted by voices and memories, ones that screamed in her head, this being the last thing before she passed out.

She didn't know when she came to but when she did she spoke faintly, still unaware she was in the arms of him… The boy who called her Keyblade a sham…. Riku brushed a hand over her face, holding her delicately in his arms while he remembered what Naminé had said to him… Sora's memories had escaped through his Nobody, Roxas and into a third person, that being Xion. Naminé told Riku that Xion's memories and Sora's were becoming weaved together and in order to wake Sora… Xion and Roxas both had to go away, to no longer exist so Sora's memories would return to him and he could awake. The sound of all this pained Riku, making him feel what only could be described as sad. Riku soon recovered from his recollection and peered down at Xion, feeling his cheek tint a light red softly, taking his gaze away from her quickly, embarrassed she might wake up and catch him staring. Xion scrunched her eyes, slowly seeing the world in color again, her blue pools directing themselves upward to see him. Her own cheeks turned a deep red, trying to speak. "Are you…" She was cut off by him.

"Riku… Sora's friend."

"Sora? You know Sora?" Xion queried, stuttering a little.

Riku stood up, letting her gather her barring, walking forward some away from her. He turned around and extended a hand to her, offering to help her up. Xion's lips curved up in a small smile, trying to hide her feelings so she could hear what Riku had to say. She placed her hand in his and proceeded to stand with him. She thanked him sweetly, her gaze fixated to him, inquiring why he saved her. Riku being the smug cool guy could only up with one answer to feed her curiosity. "I guess…. I just felt like it."

He felt his heart tremble with emotions for her, still hearing Naminé's words, there being no way to wake Sora unless Xion was to vanish. He couldn't stand it and began to walk away. Xion wasn't going to let him slip away this easily though and she stopped him, asking him to tell her more about Sora and the girl he was always with, to which she learned her name is Kairi. She understood Kairi was someone very important to Sora, as Riku had put it. What was that emotion they felt about each other? Was it the same one she felt for Riku? Could he be somebody very special to her perhaps? She was about to ask but she didn't have to. Riku walked back towards Xion and began to talk again. "Xion… Your memories belong to Sora… But you've become your own person too… It's hard to explain and I don't know if you can understand what I feel… Xion I-" This time Xion cut him off and these 'feelings' he claimed he felt were put into actions by the reciprocating party. Xion threw her arms around his neck, both their bodies meeting until virtually no space was left. Not knowing exactly what she was doing, her lips met Riku's and the two of them remained there, almost frozen in time with each other.

Riku responded this being the first time he'd ever felt a sensation like this, his own first kiss. Xion was her own person, even if DiZ didn't see it that way… She wasn't just a puppet. She was someone who Riku fell for, and he fell hard and fast. Firm hands met her waist, pulling her close to him, the two cloaked figures passionately sharing a moment that felt like an eternity. After some time Riku began to pull back some, facing her. Xion ran her hand up to his blindfold, lifting up the corner of one eye, causing Riku to flinch bit, not used to seeing openly, having to keep his darkness masked. Her smile grew when she finally saw her hero's soothing aqua-like hues, shining off her own deep blue ones. Both of them blushed hard, looking off to the side, not knowing what to say next. Even with the loving moment they shared Riku still had to tell Xion that without returning Sora's memories to him he couldn't wake up, and so he did.

She nodded, her smile shrinking and fading off from her facial features. She placed her gloved hand over her eyes, realizing the situation at hand. She suddenly looked back at him, retorting. "So do you hate me for taking your friend away from you?"

"Nah. I guess… I'm just sad." He responded calmly.

Xion was fully aware but what about her friends? What about Roxas and Axel? She couldn't just leave them. She explained that to Riku and he could only offer up his advice that she needs to find the right answer, one that works for her, her friends, and everyone else. He had confidence she's figure it out. Xion would do her best to do just that. She looked up once more, taking in a deep breath to fill her lungs, feeling as if she could actually breathe again, like things could maybe be looking up in some form. Her hand came to his cheek, running it along it sweetly while she gave him one last kiss, pressing her lips to his and then releasing. "Thank you, Riku."


End file.
